Anna Hazare

Hazare, Anna, 1937–, Indian social activist, b. Kisan Baburao Hazare. He served (1963–75) in the army then, inspired by the teachings of Vivekananda, devoted himself to social causes. Promoting water management and implementing reforms, he transformed his impoverished home village into a model village. In 1991 founded the People's Movement against Corruption. He soon began his first hunger strike, which led to the Maharashtra state government's removal of corrupt officials. In 1997 he began a campaign for a Right to Information Act that would enable Maharashtra citizens to obtain information about their government; years of agitation led to state passage in 2003, and a national law was enacted in 2005. In 2011 Hazare undertook a hunger strike in favor of establishing a national anticorruption watchdog and secured government support for anticorruption legislation, which ultimately was enacted in 2013.